The moment Li Dao Xuan heard Feng Jun's tone, he immediately understood what was going on.
Wei Zhongxian had already fallen.
And the policies left behind by Wei Zhongxian were now naturally being overturned one by one, especially those that touched the interests of the scholar-official class.
Mining tax was one of them.
The Jiangnan literati did not want to pay taxes. They wanted to keep the money in their own pockets. So they pushed out the old doctrine that "scholars and gentlemen do not pay taxes," a convenient excuse that had been used for generations.
With that justification, the coal mines that had been nominally "contracted" under official oversight had quietly turned into private property controlled by them. Taxes disappeared, accountability disappeared, and everything became a black box of profit.
At first glance, it looked like "private development."
But in truth, it was nothing more than state resources being swallowed by private hands.
Anyone with even a bit of clarity could see the problem. If this continued, the result would be obvious: a nation slowly hollowed out from within, eaten by countless fat rats gnawing at its foundation.
Feng Jun, however, was clearly one of those rare officials who still had a bit of conscience.
Not much. Just enough.
Enough to feel uneasy about state resources being casually handed over or quietly embezzled.
He did not want the Jinshuigou coal mine to fall into Gao Village Family's hands through some "hidden arrangement" where everything was registered under an official name on paper but controlled privately in reality.
That kind of thing, he could not accept.
Li Dao Xuan smiled inwardly.
Interesting.
This Feng Jun actually has principles.
He did not resent him for being cautious. On the contrary, he appreciated it.
A man in Feng Jun's position, if he blindly agreed to everything, would be nothing more than a corrupt fool. Someone like that would eventually rot everything from the inside.
But someone who tried to protect even "old state resources," even when facing pressure, had value.
If he could protect the old system today, then he would likely protect the new system tomorrow.
That kind of person was worth keeping.
Li Dao Xuan spoke calmly.
"Lord Feng is worried that Gao Village Family will take over the coal mine in Heyang County?"
Feng Jun straightened his expression.
"Madam Li, Gao Village Family has done great merit for Heyang County. This official understands that. But coal mines are not something that can be casually handed over to private hands. There are too many complications involved."
Li Dao Xuan smiled slightly.
"Then let us make a gentleman's agreement."
He paused briefly.
"Gao Village Family will provide food relief to Heyang County for every day we operate in the Jinshuigou coal mine. One day of mining, one day of grain distribution. How about that?"
The moment those words fell, Feng Jun's heart tightened again.
Another move.
A clear exchange.
A day of coal extraction for a day of food.
But the hidden meaning was even sharper: if you stop us from mining, the food supply stops as well.
A soft threat wrapped in charity.
Feng Jun's brows slowly furrowed.
This was not a simple negotiation anymore.
It was a lever.
A carefully placed lever.
Heyang County could not afford to lose food supplies. The moment food stopped, chaos would return instantly. The fragile stability that had just been built would collapse overnight.
People would starve.
Bandit groups like "Fan Shanyue" would appear again.
Everything would go back to ruin.
Feng Jun silently calculated.
If a small coal mine could be exchanged for the entire county's survival…
Then it was not a loss.
Even if Gao Village Family benefited greatly, the people of Heyang County would not lose.
In fact, they would gain stability.
He exhaled slowly, then nodded with renewed seriousness.
"Very well. This official agrees to a gentleman's agreement."
"Each day you mine coal in Jinshuigou, you will provide grain relief for Heyang County. As for the imperial court's objections, this official will bear them."
Li Dao Xuan smiled faintly.
Good.
A decent man.
That was enough.
In truth, whether Feng Jun agreed or not, Gao Village Family would still mine the coal.
And whether he agreed or not, Gao Village Family would still feed the people of Heyang County.
From Li Dao Xuan's perspective, Feng Jun's resistance could not stop anything. At best, it was a small interaction with a "local NPC," a bit of human flavor in an otherwise expanding system.
He was simply observing him.
And the result was satisfactory.
After the agreement was reached, Li Dao Xuan spoke again.
"Since matters are settled, let us proceed to Jinshuigou coal mine."
"Lord Feng, will you accompany us, or issue a document so we can present it to the mining workers?"
Feng Jun immediately replied.
"I will go personally."
He wanted to see it with his own eyes.
He wanted to see what Gao Village Family would actually do with the official coal mine.
So the convoy changed direction once again, heading toward Jinshuigou.
Gao Yiye's carriage could no longer easily communicate with Feng Jun, so San Shier rode forward on horseback and naturally fell into step beside him.
San Shier smiled.
"Lord Feng is quite upright."
Feng Jun sighed.
"I am merely incompetent. In recent years, this county has been ravaged by Fan Shanyue. I have failed the people."
San Shier tilted his head slightly.
"About how many people are left in Heyang County now?"
Feng Jun answered carefully.
"When the chaos was at its worst, I could not even count them properly."
"But recently, after Gao Village Family began distributing grain, many hidden refugees have returned to work."
"At present, I have officially registered eighty-three thousand two hundred thirty-two people."
"There are likely still around ten thousand unregistered in remote areas."
San Shier quietly admired him.
Not bad.
He had managed to clean up population records in just a few days.
That was real administrative skill.
Feng Jun continued.
"My only concern now is this."
"The current population alone consumes at least forty to fifty thousand jin of grain per day at minimum survival level."
"If they eat properly, it would be eighty thousand jin."
"And Gao Village Family also pays wages of three jin per worker per day."
"If thirty thousand people work…"
"That is another ninety thousand jin of grain per day."
"In total, we are looking at at least one hundred thirty thousand jin of grain daily."
He looked directly at San Shier.
"May I ask… how long can your village sustain this?"
San Shier froze for a moment.
Then his mouth slowly curled into a smile.
He almost laughed out loud.
How long?
The Tianzun could casually pull out a handful of flour and feed this entire county until it cried.
But of course, he could not say that.
So he put on a thoughtful expression, frowned deeply, and even began counting on his fingers in a very serious manner.
"Hmm… one hundred thirty thousand jin per day…"
"Let me calculate carefully."
Feng Jun watched him nervously.
The more serious San Shier looked, the more uneasy he became.
Finally, San Shier raised three fingers.
"We can last this long."
Feng Jun's eyes widened.
"Three days?"
Trivia
Coal Mining and "Private Entrustment"
By the late Ming period, official bans on private mining had largely collapsed. Local officials and gentry often "managed" state resources under temporary arrangements that quietly became permanent. On paper, the state owned the mine; in practice, profits vanished into private networks.
Grain as Governance
In premodern China, food supply was stability. Grain relief wasn't charity—it was crowd control, economic stimulus, and legitimacy rolled into one. A county that fed its people stayed quiet. One that didn't grew bandits.